Monday Morning Links

TheÂ Leafs play their third from last game tomorrow in Buffalo as the season winds down to a depressing close. I hate having to ask the following question, but here’s your conversation starter for this morning: say the Leafs lose to a hungry Sabres team tomorrow, fall to the Lightning in the home finale, and the second or third overall draft pick – depending on how the Oilers finish – is up for decision this Saturday against Montreal. Would any bit of you want the Leafs to lose to the Canadiens in the season finale, in Montreal? I only ask the question because many still curse Boyd Devereaux’s and Martin Gerber’s names for what effectively ruined the Leafs’ chances at Brayden Schenn in 2009, and Devereaux’s hat trick came against the Senators.

I hope the Leafs pick up a win in their next two – and they’ve owned the Lightning this season – so this is all hypothetical. I’m tired of us having to ask the question and the only way the end to this season could get more depressing is if Leafs Nation is torn on whether or not we want the Leafs to beat the Habs. I think Burke should aggressively pursue a trade up scenario anyways, targetting that Edmonton pick for a package involving the Leafs’ pick and a defenceman.

Leafs asking Phaneuf to do too much Mirtle suggests Burke is setting up Phaneuf for failure by casting him as aÂ a no. 1 defenceman in terms of match ups &Â ice time, in addition to producing points and hitting that’s expected of him. If I were Burke I’d consider breaking the bank big time on Ryan Suter to share the big responsibilities. Mirtle also dismisses the Phaneuf-Schenn rift, suggesting Feschuk did indeed base that entire allegation around Brayden Schenn and Dion Phaneuf face washing each other the other night.

Alec Brownscombe is the founder of MapleLeafsHotStove.com, where he has written daily about the Leafs since September of 2008. He was also the editor of the 2009-12 Maple Leafs Annuals. You can contact him at brownscombealec@gmail.com.